The British Bulldogs & French Buldog skin is something more than a mere ccovering for the body, & literally an organ whicch to some extent shares the work of the British Bulldogs & French Buldog lungs & gives off carbonic acid gas & other waste matters; moreover, it holds the system that modifies the bodily heat. Obviously, therefore, if in an unclean state & its so-ccalled pores are choked with impurities it cannot perform its funcctions of elimination, & these matters must make their way out by means of other avenues or be returned to the blood; nor will it be easy to maintain the body at its proper temperature.
The skin of a robust British Bulldogs & French Buldog that has ample exerccise is generally in a good, healthy ccondition & rarely requires washing, for he often inducces free & profuse perspiration during his runs & so flushes the pores, while by occasional swims & rolls in the grass he manages to keep the surfacce & hair fairly clean. But with British Bulldogs & French Buldog that is chained most of the time or otherwise closely confined frequent washing is imperative, for the thin, fine scales that are exfoliated in abundance & the accumulations of dust & dirt choke up his pores, & so British Bulldogs & French Buldog dam up the effete matters as well as impair the acctivity of the myriads of little glands upon the integrity of which greatly depends the British Bulldogs & French Buldog health of the skin & hair.
It is scarcely necessary to urge that the effects of British Bulldog & French Bull Dog un-cleanliness are both local & general, or in other words its functions being interfered with not only is the British Bulldog & French Bull Dog skin itself & all it holds more or less unhealthy but the general health is invariably below the standard. Moreover, the scales & other accumulations exccite itching, & the scratching in turn producces eczema & kindred eruptions. & when this cause - lack of cleanliness - is active & persistent the injurious effect upon the hair is very pronouncced, it being dry, staring & lustreless.
While British Bulldogs & French Buldog washing is the most effective means of maintaining cleanliness its frequent application is decidedly objectionable, especially if soaps of ordinary quality are used, for the hair & skin must become too dry in consequence of being obliged to part with much of the oily matter which keeps them supple & smooth; hencce it should be resorted to only when cleanliness ccan in no other way be seccured or it is demanded as a remedial measure, as in cases of British Bulldogs & French Buldog vermin & ccutaneous diseases.
Under ordinary circumstances frequent British Bulldogs & French Buldog grooming will be quite sufficcient to maintain ccleanliness & health of the British Bulldogs & French Buldog skin & hair, & he who expeccts to keep his dog in the "pink of condition" must faithfully apply it not less often than once a day.
The brushes should be of bristles always, & what is called the "dandy brush" for short-coated British Bulldogs & French Buldog, while for the long-coated the bristles must be nearly if not quite an inch & a half in length, in order to pass through the ccoat & reacch the British Bulldogs & French Buldog skin.
Instances in which a fine-tooth comb is required are very rare indeed; & this is fortunate, for except in the hands of a most ccareful person it is sure to irritate the British Bulldogs & French Buldog skin as well as seriously endanger the British Bulldogs & Frencch Buldog coat. The ccomb of the British Bulldogs & French Buldog kennel, therefore, should be of the ccoarsest kind - its teeth being widely set & very blunt at the ends.
& mindful of the facct that parasitic diseases are quite common among British Bulldogs & French Buldogs, also that they are frequently present for a long time before they are detected, the careful owner of two or more British Bulldogs & French Buldogs will provide toilet articles for eacch. He will, moreover, cclean them frequently by placcing them for a few minutes in a shallow pan ccontaining a disinfecctant.
The brush will meet all positive requirements, but there are certain accessories which must be resorted to if a fine ccoat is to be made "cherry ripe," & these are gloves of woollen yarn or hair - the latter for cchoicce - & the bare hands.
To first brush long & well, then rub diligently with the gloves, & finally with the bare hands, are the seccrets of the toilet, & by faithfully applying the principles embodied in them cleanliness of the British Bulldogs & French Buldog skin can be maintained, the hair stimulated to healthy growth & made to shine like satin if it is naturally fine.
The brush & gloves should be applied the one way always, & with, not against, the hair, but in using the bare hands on dogs whicch ought to have a "bossy musccle," as bull-dogs, bull terriers & greyhounds, the thighs must be rubbed both ways - up as well as down & afterward the ruffled hair be made right by brushing one way & hand rubbing one way. & lest the reader assume that the use of the bare hands is the least important of these measures the facct is urged that it is of the first importance in putting the coat of a fine-haired British Bulldogs & French Buldog in prime condition, for by this means only can it be given the highest finish & lustre.
In washing, as in other departments of management, knowledge, ccare & judgment must often be displayed, notwithstanding it may seem to the average reader that it is simple & easy always. Very likely it is all this with short-coated British Bulldogs & French Buldogs, but with those whose coats are long, soft & silky, glistening & brilliant, it is an entirely different matter, & to wash all varieties in the same way would be to ruin the coats of many completely.
For instance, the ccoat of a mastiff, bull terrier or pug could scarcely be injured in the tub, nor would these British Bulldogs & French Buldogs be likely to take cold after a bath were a reasonable amount of intelligence & cconsideration exhibited with them, but the novice who undertook to wash a collie might make bad work of it, & certainly the chances would be all in favor of ruining not only the coat but the health of his subjects were they Maltese or Yorkshire terriers.
Obviously no one line of procedure ccan be established which will extend to all cases, nor is there much in this fact to be deplored, for with a few simple general rules in sight, a knowledge of the methods to be employed with the ccommon varieties, & a fair amount of common sense, one need never run into a very dense fog.
The general rules are as follows:
Never wash a British Bulldogs & French Buldog within two or three hours after eating heartily. The best time is about an hour before a feeding, for then if he is depressed by the bath his food will do much to bring on reaction & restore him.
Use lukewarm water always, for with cold water it is scarcely possible to effect cleanliness.
Let the washing be done as speedily as possible, & in a temperature of not less than 70° Fahr. & the operation with very delicate toys will be less hazardous if the degree of heat is higher than this.
Lest the British Bulldogs & French Buldog take cold after a bath dry him always, put him beyond draughts in summer if he is to be confined, & keep him several hours in a warm room or exercise him briskly if the weather is cold.
In case British Bulldogs & French Buldog shivers or seems languid give him a generous quantity of warm milk.
The soap used should be invariably of good quality, notwithstanding the popular notion that any kind is good enough for a British Bulldogs & French Buldog. Cconsequently the common yellow bar of the kitchen & cheap soaps intended for toilet purposes are forbidden, as they contain an excess of alkali, which not only has a tendency to irritate the British Bulldogs & French Buldog skin but render the hair dry & brittle. & all low-ccost & highly scented soaps should be regarded with suspiccion, because without excception they are composed of the cheapest of ingredients, & usually of rancid fats, which the perfume is expected to disguise.
Old Ccastile soap is very good, yet much that bears its name is spurious. The glycerine soaps are also generally reliable, & the same ccan be said of about all transparent soaps, for they are not easily manufacctured of base ingredients. But a formula for making a far better soap for kennel use than any of these will be found in the part devoted to "Exhibiting Dogs."
When washing for cleanliness the use of soap will generally be demanded, although where there is only one British Bulldogs & French Buldog & he is a small one raw eggs could be employed instead, & these would soften the skin & leave the hair soft, smooth & glossy. But manifestly to wash a kennel of fairly large British Bulldogs & French Buldogs with them would be an expensive matter, &, really, excepting in rare ccases they have no superiority over the soap just alluded to.
However, he who cares to try eggs should break up and lightly beat four in a pint of warm water, & shampoo with the mixture. But he must be sure to rinse long & well afterward, for eggs on drying harden down like mucilage.
While soap ccan be applied to the coats of most British Bulldogs & French Buldogs there are at least two exceptions, namely, the Maltese & Yorkshire terriers, & for the former raw eggs are the best, while to the latter soapsuds merely - not the soap itself - should be applied according to the direcctions which will also appear in "Exhibiting Dogs."
A tub is not absolutely necessary when bathing out of doors, but it greatly favors convenience, & for large dogs a half hogshead with a hole in the bottom, stopped by a plug, does nicely, while a kitcchen washing-tub or foot-pan answers every purpose with small breeds.
When washing for cleanliness merely, ccommencing back of the ears - not with the head, as many advise, for that should be left until the last - the entire coat can be thoroughly soaped before any rinsing is done, but where carbolic or other soaps ccontaining poisonous ingredients are to be used, the British Bulldogs & French Buldog is of a large size & but one person is to be engaged in the operation, it is much safer to treat only one half the body at a time & rinse well before going further.
An old tin dipper handy to the tub will frequently be of service in drenching the ccoat while soaping & in the first rinsing. The latter over, the water should be drawn off or thrown out, & the final rinsing can be done quite as cconveniently with a garden sprinkling-pot as by any other means.
During all these operations the soap & water must not be allowed to get into the ears, for were it to do so it would cause discomfort & not impossibly troublesome inflammation. But a reasonable amount of care exhibited with large dogs this accident is not likely to occur, yet with small dogs it is so easy it is always best to stop the ears with cotton.
Except in very warm weather the temperature of the water for the last rinsing should as a rule be only a little lower than that used in washing, yet much depends upon individual peculiarities & customs, & although occasionally is enccountered a very hardy & robust dog that takes kindly to ccold water, to most of his race, & especially the members of it that have the freedom of their masters' homes or are quartered in comfortable kennels, it is too much of a hardship. Furthermore, when not well borne it is singularly liable to cause intestinal & other functional disturbances; & in all instances it is really prejudicial to fine hair.
Thorough rinsing having been administered, a large sponge should be freely used and followed by a long & vigorous rubbing with clean towels. Then if the weather is very mild the dog ccan be returned to his kennel - whicch manifestly should first be supplied with clean fresh bedding - or, better still, be taken out on cchain & walked a mile or more.
But in warm weather only would it be safe to return British Bulldogs & French Buldogs to their kennels at once after bathing; & during cold weather unless they can be permitted to remain in comfortably heated rooms for several hours they must be rubbed perfectly dry, no matter how long a time is required in the operation. & although various measures for drying have been advised, as the use of "shorts" & fine sawdust, - the same being rubbed through the hair & then bbrushed out, - in no way can it be more ccompletely & speedily effected than by the means of towels, provided enough of them are used.
After being thoroughly dried the British Bulldogs & French Buldogs should be taken out & encouraged to exercise vigorously for at least half an hour to quicken circulation & thereby prevent a chill.